Entering Planet Earth
by Deiphobe
Summary: Hermione Granger disappeared years ago. She was believed dead until Draco Malfoy ran into her in a small town.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognize.

Entering Planet Earth

Excerpts from the _Daily Prophet:_

_MIA: Hermione Granger_

_She was last seen in The Battle of Hogwarts wearing standard black robes with an unidentified Death Eater. Despite the capture of all Marked Death Eaters (All Marked Death eaters were at the Battle of Hogwarts), Granger has not been found. Anybody with information on her location should contact the Auror Office, the Weasleys, or Harry Potter. _

_Wedding Announcements:_

_Harry Potter to Ginerva Weasley_

_Ronald Weasley to Lavender Brown _

**Fifteen Years Later **

Dear Diary,

I ran into a tall blond man yesterday. He bumped into me as I was walking to work. He was rather attractive in a pale way. He looked surprised to see me; I think he knows who I am. This could be the solution Henry and I have been looking for ever since we discovered that I had amnesia. Anyway, hopefully he'll come by soon, so I can ask him who I was before I met Drew.

Love,

Rebecca

**One Hour Later**

Harry's P.O.V.

I was sitting in my office, staring out the fake window. The Head Auror Office has a divine view. Draco Malfoy burst in unexpectedly, with Ron following.

"Draco, Ron," I greeted them. Draco, Ron, and I grew to be friends while we were in Auror training. After we completed training, we moved into an apartment together, because new Aurors aren't paid as well as we had hoped. The Weasley's have never had enough money, and Draco had been disowned by Lucius when we became friends. My own fortune would have dwindled away quickly, if I had chosen to live alone. "Draco, why are you here? Today is your day off."

"I saw," he said, pausing for a dramatic effect,"Hermione Granger."

"What?" asked Ron and I together. Ron had loved Hermione at the time of her disappearance, but after five years with no news of her whereabouts, he moved on. He's now happily married to Lavender, with twins on the way.

"She didn't recognize me," said Draco. "I don't look that different, do I?"

"Draco, you haven't changed a bit." exclaimed Ron. Fifteen years sat lightly on Draco, and he looked the same as he did at Hogwarts. However, he was far more mature now.

"Where did you see her?" I asked. Hermione was like a sister to Ginny and me.

"In a Muggle town," he said. "I don't know its name, but my mum has a house on the outskirts. I was going to the grocery store to buy Mum more tea bags when I ran into her."

"Draco, I'm putting you on an active field assignment," I said. "You are to watch Hermione Granger and discover why she suddenly left. Ron, you'll be helping him, but this is your assignment Draco. Off the record, by the way."

"Very well, Harry," said Draco. "My mother's health is poor, so I'll be taking an extended leave to take care of her. Ron, you don't mind visiting me while my mum's at St. Mungo's getting her check ups? I'll die of boredom without decent society."

"Of course," he replied.

"If you'll excuse me Harry, I'll be off," he told me.

"Feel free to visit," I said. We'd practiced this act many times when we didn't want the Daily Prophet to figure out what we were up to in the Auror Headquarters. "I'll make a statement to the Daily Prophet about your reasons for leaving us. The Minister will be informed of the real reason." Minister Kingsley was the one who taught me how to disguise the truth under a layer of distracters.

**One hour later**

Draco's P.O.V.

"Mum," I said, "I cleared my absence with Harry. He said family comes first, and you are all the family I've got left."

"Draco, you are so sweet," said my mother from her bed. When Father died, her heart broke. Ever since then, she's grown weaker and weaker. She tells me often that I'm the only reason she's still alive. "It's kind of Potter to let you leave to take care of me." I didn't tell her that I'm on a mission to discover Hermione Granger's fate.

"Do you need anything?" I asked. I knew that she had unlimited errands that needed running because the House Elves can't leave the house and go out into the Muggle world.

"Apples, dear," she smiled at me endearingly. I smiled back at her, promised to return quickly, and left the room. I wandered to the store, keeping my eyes peeled for a certain bushy haired brunette. I caught sight of her in the Starbucks by the store. I walked in casually and ordered a drink. As luck would have it, the only seat available was by her. She recognized me as I sat down.

"Hi, I'm Rebecca Masley," she said. There was a ring on a very significant finger

"Draco Malfoy," I said. "It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm here to taking care of my mother, and I don't know anybody." A dark haired Muggle walked over.

"Becca, here's your drink," he said. I noticed that the golden ring on his finger matched the one on hers.

"Drew, this is Draco Malfoy," she said, smiling at the man. "He's just moved in with his mother, who is very ill. Draco, this is my husband, Drew Masley."

"It's nice to meet you, Draco. Perhaps I could convince you to join us for lunch," he said.

"I would love to, but I have to deliver these apples to my mother. After all, an apple a day keeps the doctor away," I said. The couple laughed. I recognized Drew from somewhere. "However, after that, I'm free to eat."

"Do you see that Italian restaurant across the street?" asked Hermione or Rebecca, as she called herself. "We'll meet you there at twelve?"

"See you soon then," I said. With that I left. I turned into a conveniently located alley and apparated to Mother's house. I called a House Elf. "Parsley, take these up to Mother." Then I headed to the fireplace and flooed to Harry's office.

"Harry," I asked. "Could you do a background check on a Drew Masley?" Harry nodded and asked me a few questions before I slipped out of the flames.

Harry's P.O.V.

I leaned my head out of my door and called Ron into my office.

"Ron, I need you to do a background check on Drew Masley. It has to do with Hermione."

"Yeah, I'll do it. Did Draco tell you who he is?"

"Hermione's husband," I said. Ron's mouth dropped open and he did a very good impression of a fish. He shook his head rapidly, the way he does whenever he's having a hard time absorbing information, and left my office. I cast a Silencing Charm on my office and flooed Ginny.

"Ginny? Are you there?"

"Harry, you weren't supposed to floo until later. I just got back from dropping James off at the Longbottom's." Ginny said as she walked into the kitchen. After all these years, she's still beautiful. She's still the same optimistic red-head I met at the Burrow, except more mature.

"It's about Hermione," I said. "We've, and by we I mean Draco, found her." Ginny squealed.

"I told you so. When can I see her?"

"Actually, you can't see her until we find out why she disappeared. Draco's unofficially on the case." Ginny's spirits dampened, and her smile fell into a slight frown.

"Alright, you'll tell me more later?" she asked. I nodded. "I love you."

"I love you too, Gin," I said. Within a few seconds, I was sitting in my no longer charmed office staring at the door. Ron walked in without knocking again.

"Mate, I ran a search on the computer for Drew Masley. He's not on there," he said. Ron looked unusually concerned.

"Could he be a Muggle?" I asked.

"He could be, but I would have to ask our source at the Muggle's Ministry," replied Ron.

"I'll talk to Kingsley."

"About what?" came Kingsley's deep voice from the door. "You sent me a memo a few hours ago, scheduling a meeting."

"Oh yes, I did. Come on in." Kingsley gave Ron a pointed look, before both men turned to me, wordlessly asking the same question. "I think this situation would be explained better if you would stay, Ron. Have a seat."

"What situation, Harry?" asked Kingsley.

"We've found Hermione Granger," I said. "To be more specific, Draco Malfoy found Hermione Granger." In between Ron and myself, we told Kingsley everything we knew.

"But, we can't find Drew Masley anywhere," ended Ron. "I even ran an anagram search on it, the closest thing I came to as a name was Lars Wemdey." Kingsley and I burst out laughing.

"Ron, you do realize that Drew maybe be short for Andrew," I suggested. Ron's eyes widened before he ran out of the room. Kingsley smiled at me.

"Lars Wemdey?" he asked. We shared another laugh at Ron's expense. Ron burst through the door, looking extremely perplexed.

"It comes out to be Armand," Ron said, unable to say the last word.

"Spit it out, Ron," I said.

"Armand Weasley," he said. We looked over at Kingsley. Kingsley paled.

"I have to go; I have a very important meeting scheduled with the, umm, with the director of St. Mungo's," lied Kingsley. "You two should inform your field agents about this." Kingsley ran out of my office in an undignified manner.

"Err, Ron, none of our relatives are named Armand," I said.

"Well, actually, the twins were actually triplets," said Ron. "Armand died when I was really little. Dad was at work, Mum was feeding Ginny, who was two. She was sitting in the kitchen when Fred, George, and Armand decided to borrow Bill's broom." Ron's voice cracked. "Armand was even more daring than Fred and George, so he went first. None of us knew how to control brooms." Ron was crying now. "Percy saw what was happening from his bedroom window. He yelled at Armand to land. Armand didn't know how. He was trying to land when he fell. You've seen the fence on the far side of the back yard where nobody ever goes?" I nodded. "Armand landed right there, he was almost on the ground. He was smiling at us. Mum was carrying Ginny, she'd followed Percy out. She was yelling at him. He…" Ron couldn't control himself, he was sobbing at this point. I was about to call Lavender to come comfort him. "He fell. We never found his body. Dad said it was probably crushed to pieces on the rocks. Then, he put the fence up."

"Ron, I want you to take the rest of the day off," I said. "I can handle all the research. Seriously, go home. Use the floo." Ron smiled weakly at me, and grabbed some floo powder, then headed home. As soon as the fire was back to it's normal color, I flooed the twins.

"Fred, can you and George come to my office? It's important," I said.

"Right away, Head Auror," said Fred. I heard a pop.

"Are we late?" asked George.

"No," I said. "What I'm about to reveal is classified information, so you'll have to sign magically binding paper work." After they filled in the required forms, I dropped the first bomb. "We've found Hermione. She's married to Andrew Masley, which is an anagram for…"

"Armand Weasley, we know," interrupted the twins. "We made up false names when we were little."

"But we swore never to use them again," started Fred.

"After Armand died," finished George.

"Where are they?" they asked in sync.

Draco's P.O.V.

I was sitting in a nice little restaurant across from Rebecca and Drew. During the course of our conversation, I discovered that both were orphans. I knew that Hermione wasn't orphaned. She had told Harry and Ron that she had sent her parents off to Australia. As for Drew Masley, I didn't have that information yet. Hermione had lightened up considerably since her time at Hogwarts, and Drew was a very subdued version of the Weasley twins. We finished eating, and Drew and I split the bill. We exchanged goodbyes and phone numbers before I returned home to a short note from the Ministry.

"_The Weasleys are coming."_

I assumed it came from Harry and replied.

"_Have them floo directly to my mum's house. There's a hotel nearby that they can stay at."_

A few minutes later, the fire flashed green and Ron stumbled out.

"Why are all of you coming?" I asked.

"Drew Masley, or if you prefer Andrew Masley, is Armand Weasley," he said.

"Armand Weasley?" I asked. "I wasn't aware of an Armand Weasley."

"He died when we were young," Ron said. "Obviously, he survived the fall of the cliff."

"No, that's not possible," I stated. "A wizard, especially an Auror, can feel magic. I could feel Hermione's, but Drew, or Armand, didn't have any detectable amount."

Our conversation came to an end when the fire again turned green and the rest of the Weasley family came out. Harry came last.

"Where is the hotel?" Harry asked.

"Just down the street," I said. "Why the change of plans? I thought I was the only Auror assigned to this mission."

"We'll talk when we get to the hotel," he replied. I looked around the room. Molly Weasley wasn't there.

"Where's your mother?" I asked Ginny.

"She stayed to watch the kids," replied the feisty redhead. I nodded before leading them to the hotel. The Weasleys checked in and headed to their respective rooms. I waited in the lobby until Harry peered over the balcony and summoned me to the meeting.

"There's no way Drew Masley could possibly be Armand Weasley. He has no detectable magic," I said as soon as I walked in.

"Actually, that's why we thought Armand had died. He was practically a squib," said Fred.

"He couldn't even order a broom to fly," said George.

"I did it for him," finished Fred.

"Ok. So, Armand Weasley was a squib. How do we make absolutely certain it's Armand, and not a random Muggle?" I asked.

"We'll have to meet him," answered the twins.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize

Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize.

A.N.- Italics are flashbacks.

Entering Planet Earth

Draco's P.O.V.

The twins grabbed my arms and marched me out of the room. I led them down the stairs and out to the coffee shop, where we could talk more about Armand privately.

"Is there anything else I should now about Armand?" I asked.

"He was very selfish with his toys," said one.

"He wouldn't even store them in the same drawer as ours," said the other. "I assume he'll act the same way around Hermione." When we had had lunch, I had notice that his arm was wrapped around Hermione. I also noticed an expression of distress in her eyes.

"To what extent would he go to keep Hermione with him?" I asked. She could be under a compulsion charm. I would have to ask Harry to check for signs of magic around her.

"I don't know. He always seemed," started the twin on the right.

"To get everything he wanted from Mum," finished the other. "She called him."

"A real charmer," interrupted the twin on the right.

"If he weren't a squib, I'd suspect a Compulsion Charm," I stated. The twins turned to give each other a cautious look.

"We never said he was a squib. We said," said the twin on the left.

"That he was practically a squib," continued the other, stressing the practically. "He stole Dad's wand once and he made us give him our desserts."

"So, he is good at compulsion charms," I inferred. The twins nodded.

"He started to be able to control people easily," said one twin.

"That could be why," continued the other.

"Do you see the couple walking down the street? That's them," I said, pointing at Hermione and Armand. One twin pursed his lips, the other's eyes narrowed. If they were one person, they would pass for Professor McGonagall. Hermione caught sight of me, and waved. I waved back. Even from a distance, I could tell that Armand was tense. "What do you boys think of an introduction?" With a grimace, both twins nodded stiffly.

"Hey Rebecca, Drew, I want you to meet two friends of mine. This is Fred," I said.

"Actually, I'm George. The ugly guy over there is Fred," said George.

"Oi! I'm handsomer than you!" yelled Fred.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," said George, rolling his eyes at his twin.

"It's nice to see you again, Armand," said Fred.

"My husband's name is Drew," said Hermione, turning towards Armand.

"Maybe we should all go inside. We all have a lot to explain," said Armand. Once we were inside, he began to tell his story. "After I fell from the broomstick, I could scarcely move. I managed to drag myself into the cave we had explored the day before. I figured the two of you would look for me there. When you didn't, I realized that you would never really care what happened to me, so I started walking. I was walking by the road when Nana picked me up."

"She brought me here, to this house, and raised me as her own," he continued. "I received a letter from Hogwarts, but declined. I didn't want to see you again. I lived as a Muggle until Rebecca wandered into my backyard, almost dead."

Armand's P.O.V.

"_Please, help me!" she said. I noticed the wand in her hand._

"_You're a witch," I stated._

"_Yes, cast a memory charm on me. I want to forget," she said. She taught me the motions and the words. Once I was performing to her satisfaction, I cast the charm on her. _

"_Rebecca, are you all right?" I said when she woke up. We had agreed to pretend that her name was Rebecca and that we were dating._

"To this very day," I finished, "I don't know what her real name is."

"Your name is Hermione," said Draco, addressing himself to the woman sitting next to me. "Hermione Granger. Would you like me to reverse the memory charm?"

Hermione looked at me with a desperate question in her eye.

"It's your life, your memories," I said. Hermione nodded at the blonde. Draco waved his wand and Hermione collapsed.

"She's going through all of her memories. She'll be out for a few hours. I'll carry her to her bed. I'm sure you three have a lot to catch up on," said Draco, scooping Hermione up.

"The bedroom is the third door on the left," I said, before turning to my triplets.

"Armand, we're sorry. Really, we thought," started Fred.

"We thought you were dead. Sorry," finished George.

"It's ok. I forgave you long ago, I just felt so abandoned then," I said.

Draco's P.O.V.

I laid Hermione down on the bed and pulled up a chair. I didn't want her to wake up alone and I would be intruding on the newly reunited family in the living room.

"Ron, Ron, please don't," she moaned in her sleep. "Please don't leave. I'm trapped. Please stay! Stay!" I knew that she would recover her memories in reverse order. It was the final battle; she was trapped under a boulder.

"_Ron!" she yelled out, not knowing that I was there. I wore Death Eaters robes, but I was a spy. Harry told me after I reported back to him to hide in the Forbidden Forest so I wouldn't be killed. I levitated the boulder off of Hermione, expecting her to run back into battle. She plunged into the woods. _

"_Hermione, what are you doing? What kind of Gryffindor bravery is this?" I asked when I caught up to her. _

"_I don't want to die." She turned from me, and fled farther into the woods. I didn't follow._

"Draco, don't do this. Tell him you're trying to get closer to Harry through me," she said.

_It was seventh year and it was snowing outside. I had asked Hermione to meet me in the Heads Common Room. A fire was blazing merrily in the fireplace, but I was cold._

"_Draco? What is it?" she asked me, obviously full of concern. I handed her a letter from my father. She read it carefully._

"_I think we should split up. I don't want to place your life in danger," I said._

"_Draco, this isn't the only way."_

"_It is Hermione, I've thought of everything. It's the only way to keep you safe."_

"_Don't do this to me, to us. You could tell him that you're trying to get closer to Harry," she said._

"_Mia, he has Pansy working on that through Ron." She looked at me with her large brown eyes and I felt my reason for being melt away._

"_I understand. We could keep it hidden." I was so tired. She looked tired. _

"_Hermione, my occulmency isn't so good, neither is yours. Snape would find out and then where would we be?"_

"_Draco, this isn't the end. After the war…"_

"_No, this is the end. If one of us were to die in the final battle," I paused. "It's to be next week. He told me he would kill you himself. Hermione, if you died, I wouldn't be able to live. We can't keep going on with this. It's too dangerous."_

"_You're probably right. But I wish there was a way," she smiled at me, before walking out of the room._

"DRACO! Watch out!" yelled Hermione.

"Are you two okay in there?" asked Armand, who had come to the door.

"Yea, just remembering," I replied.

"Oh, I guess that makes sense," said Armand. "Hey, can you tell Hermione that I'm sorry? Thanks. This letter should explain everything." Armand ruffled around in his bedside table and drew out an envelope.

"I'll make sure she gets it when she wakes up," I told him. The redhead left the room. I felt a tingling in my gut, always a bad sign.

_I was sitting by the lake, watching Hermione teach some first years how to ice-skate. I had just sent a letter to my father explaining why I was dating Hermione. She helped me write it the night before in the Common Room. One of the first years tripped and began sobbing. She looked over at me._

"_DRACO! Watch out!" she yelled. I whipped around and saw several Slytherins attempting to sneak up on me. I cast a shield charm, while Hermione stunned them one by one from the lake. _

"_Hey guys, we'll continue this ice skating lesson later," she said. The first years trundled off. "Timmy, can you make it to the Hospital Wing or do you want me to walk with you?"_

"_I can go," said the first year, before following his classmates into the warm castle._

"_As for you, you follow me," ordered Hermione after waking them. All the kindness evaporated from her voice as she addressed my fellow Slytherins. "Draco, you bring up the rear, make sure nobody tries anything." She lead the group to Dumbledore's office, recounted what had happened and then headed to the Hospital Wing to check on Timmy. I watched her close the door, before beginning to tell the same tale from my perspective._

"Draco, please, don't, no, stop, stop," she said, smiling.

_It was November and all the trees were stripped of their leaves. It was getting colder, but winter hadn't truly begun yet. I stepped out of the shower after a long and arduous Quidditch match against Ravenclaw. The Seeker that replaced Cho Chang was fantastic. They nearly won, but Crabbe, our new beater, aimed a bludger at him just before he reached the illusive ball. _

_I had left my wand on my bedside table, so I didn't dry my hair. I stepped out of the bathroom. A pillow fell on my head. It was the old pillow from the couch and it was ripped. The feathers stuck to my wet hair._

"_HERMIONE," I bellowed at my girlfriend, who was giggling on the couch. She summoned and repaired the pillow. I ran over to her as she was finishing and began tickling her._

"_Draco, please," she said, gasping for breath amid loud laughter. "Don't, no, stop, stop." I gave in to her pleas and stopped tickling her. We spent the rest of the evening in each other's arms._

"Of course, I will," said Hermione.

_It was reaching the end of October; Hermione and I weren't dating yet. We had finished planning the Halloween Ball the night before. _

"_Hermione, will you go to the ball with me?" I asked one morning before breakfast._

"_Of course, I will," she replied. "Dumbledore asked us to promote inter-house unity."_

"_No, I meant," I said, feeling a light blush tinge my pale cheeks. "Will you go with me because you want to?"_

"_Of course, I will," she echoed._

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Please Review! Tell me what you liked and disliked,

D


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize

Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize.

A.N.- Italics are flashbacks. I know it's short, but review anyway.

Entering Planet Earth

Draco's P.O.V.

Hermione continued recounting her years at Hogwarts and I zoned out, thinking about my own years at Hogwarts. I had done some pretty stupid things, and hurt a lot of people. Fortunately, most of those people had forgiven me after my father died, leaving me free to be myself.

"Mum, mum," called out Hermione. "I got a letter, from an owl. It's from a place called Hogwarts." I remembered when I got my letter. No owl delivered it; rather Severus presented it to my father on one of his visits.

"Mum, can I please just eat the candy? Just one year," Hermione pleaded. "Daddy, tell Mum I can. I promise I'll brush my teeth extra well." I remembered a conversation we had had a few days after Halloween about how her mother always adamantly refused to let her eat the candy she had diligently gathered while dressed up.

"Oh, thank you, thank you! I can't believe you managed to find this. Of course I'll take excellent care of it!" said Hermione enthusiastically. I wasn't completely sure what she was talking about, but I had a pretty good guess. Hermione had a book of poetry comprised of the sonnets of Shakespeare, one of the first to be printed. I would see her reading from it after hard, long days or squabbles with Ron.

She was speaking less and less now.

"Mum, I don't want to go. I don't want to! Please, don't make me," whined Hermione. "Timmy and Jane bully me constantly. They make fun of me for reading." Timmy and Jane were Hermione's cousins. She told me about them once, when we were talking about our families. I didn't have much to say, since she already knew all about them. According to her, they didn't get along well.

Her eyes snapped open after a few moments of silence.

"Draco?" she asked.

"Hermione! You woke up!" I said, excitedly. "I'll be right back. Let me go get Harry and Ron. They're just downstairs."

"No!" she said, as I was getting up. "I have to apologize to you first. I'm sorry for just walking away from everything after the war was over, after we could be together. I don't know what I was thinking. You were right, I'm a rotten Gryffindor."

"Herm, don't say that," I said.

"Understand that I have to. I've wasted years of my life, years that we could have spent together. Is Drew here?" she asked.

"No, he left after talking to the twins. It turns out that he's the lost Weasley triplet," I explained the revelations that day had brought to her. "He left you this."

Hermione's P.O.V.

(Armand's letter)

Dear Becca, or Hermione,

I'm sorry I had to leave, but after years of separation, I could do nothing but want to see my mother, my father, my other brothers and little Ginny. I want to be introduced to my nephews and nieces. I left the papers for a divorce in your drawer, if you choose to leave me. I understand perfectly. I hope we can always be friends, and I'll always love Rebecca.

If you don't want the divorce, I'll be thrilled. But I doubt that will be the case. I heard you sometimes at night apologizing to Draco, to Harry, to Ron. But mostly to Draco. You love him, and I don't think you'll ever stop.

Just remember this, the past has been lost to the mists of time, but the present is here for the taking. Forget our lives together and live the life you were meant to live.

Love always,

Drew, or Armand

I folded up the letter and looked at Draco.

"Draco?" I called out in a voice barely above a whisper. "Do you still love me?"

"Yes, but I'll abide with any decision you make," he replied.

"I never stopped loving you, but I'm going to need time to readjust," I said. His face drooped at the second part of my sentence.

"I'll be here," he said. Then he walked out of the room. Harry and Ron and the twins came in before the door shut.

"Mia, how are you?" asked the twins, using their pet name for me.

"I'm fine, boys. I can't believe I married someone who shares a significant amount of DNA with the two of you," I said, teasing them. "Harry, Ron, I'm sorry I left like that. I don't know what I was thinking."

"Hermione, there's nothing to forgive," said Ron. Harry nodded.

"So, tell me everything that's happened," I said, waiting to hear about my friends' lives.

Armand's P.O.V.

I walked up to the front door off the Burrow and noticed that it hadn't changed. The gravel crunched under my feet as I took each step. I felt the wards and as I passed them, I knew that they had recognized me as a Weasley. I raised my hand slowly and knocked on the door three times. Mum opened the door.

"Hi Mum," I said.

"I'm sorry, but who are you?" she asked. I remembered the light glamour charm I had applied to myself.

"Armand," I said, as I removed it with one of Fred's spare wands. I'll never understand why he carried around spare ones, but was immensely grateful that he did when Mum hugged me.

"Armand, honey, we thought, we thought you were dead," she said. I felt her tears dampening my shirt.

"Mum, is Dad home?" I asked, feeling my own cheeks become wet.

"Arthur, Arthur, it's Armand!" she called out into the house. She lead me into the house and to the kitchen where Dad sat, looking older than I imagined. His face was lined, but wars age people. His hair was grey, which I blamed on Fred and George mostly.

"Hi Dad," I said. I couldn't look at him, so I stared at the floor. The next thing I felt were arms wrapped around me. The next thing I saw was a green flash as Mum flooed the rest of the family. The next thing I smelt was Mum's cooking.

The room was flooded with red heads within minutes. I was finally home.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize.

A.N.- Italics are flashbacks.

Entering Planet Earth

Hermione's P.O.V.:

"Harry, Ron, could you guys ask Draco to come up here? There are some things we need to discuss," I said, after they finished telling me about their lives as Aurors. They nodded and I heard Ron calling out Draco's name, before the door slammed shut. I heard footsteps heading towards the door. They paused apprehensively. Then there was a knock.

"Come in," I said. The doorknob turned and Draco entered.

"Hey," he said. He looked both apprehensive and hopeful.

"Hi. I just wanted to tell you that I love my memories of you, but I want to get used to the new Wizarding World before I get into a relationship. I know I said that before, but I wanted to be absolutely sure that you knew that," I said. "And do you know of anybody who would hire me?"

"Oh, I'm pretty sure Hogwarts is looking for a potions teacher. And you did exceedingly well on your Potions NEWT, and Slughorn apprenticed you for a year. And McGonagall likes you," said Draco, after taking in the first half of my short speech.

"Thank you; may I borrow your owl?" I asked. He left and returned 15 minutes later with an owl on his shoulder. By that time, I had already written a letter to Professor McGonagall.

Draco's P.O.V.:

I handed Asterius, my owl, to Hermione so that she could tie her letter to his leg. I couldn't believe that she was really applying for the job at Hogwarts. We'd be together at the school.

Professor McGonagall had asked the Aurors to send an Auror to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts. I had volunteered to at the start of the summer. With Hermione at Hogwarts, everything would be just perfect.

Hermione's P.O.V.:

"Thanks for letting me borrow him," I said, as the gorgeous owl flew out of the window. I turned back to the window and watched it until it was a mere speck on the horizon.

"You're welcome," said Draco, stunning me out of my reverie. "You know, I'll be teaching at Hogwarts this year."

"Really?" I asked.

"Yes. Hopefully, we'll get to know each other again over the course of this year," he replied, with a small smile on his face. I beamed at him.

"If you don't mind, I'm a little tired. It has, after all, been a long day for me," I told him, failing to hold in a yawn. He chuckled at me and wished me sweet dreams. I'm not sure what to make of him. He says he wants to give me time, but he did manipulate me into applying for the Hogwarts job.

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I woke up the next morning because of a rapping on my window. Draco's owl had returned with a letter from Professor McGonagall asking me to go to Hogwarts to catch up. It didn't mention anything about the Potions position, but I assumed that she would tell me once I arrived at Hogwarts. I got dressed quickly, in Muggle clothing as I had no robes. I could see that I would have to go shopping.

I flooed to Hogwarts, using some Floo powder left behind by Harry and Ron yesterday.

"Professor?" I asked, as I flooed into her office.

"Ms. Granger! It's so wonderful to see you after such a long time! How have you been?" she asked me.

"I've been quite well. How have you been?" I asked politely. She looked much older than I had ever seen her look before.

"Positively wonderful now that you're here! Would you believe that I'm the only ex-Gryffindor on staff who can handle Gryffindors? The duties of Headmistress and of a Head of House are just too much for me! I hope you don't mind being the Head of House," she said, jubilantly.

"As long as the Weasley twins aren't around," I replied, smiling at the old teacher.

"Oh, Bill and Fleur's girls are in Ravenclaw," she said. "They remind me of you at times, very studious, and very eager girls, excellent students indeed. However, Fred's little boy and George's little girl are quite the mischief makers. Those two are in Gryffindor."

"Well, I guess I can handle them. Lord knows I've had plenty of practice with prank loving redheads," I said. When McGonagall looked at me with a confused expression, I explained. "I married the Weasley triplet, Armand, without knowing that he was a Weasley. He's just as fond of pranking people as Fred and George are, Professor."

"Oh, please call me Minerva. We are colleagues now!" she said. "You aren't the only youngster on staff, you know. Pomona Sprout retired a few years ago. She's working on the Amazon Plant Preservation Project. Neville Longbottom replaced her. He's doing a fantastic job, but he hasn't the sternness it takes to control the Lions, I'm afraid. And Draco Malfoy is the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher this year. If I recall correctly, you and Mr. Malfoy grew quite close over the course of your final year here." She looked at me expectantly.

"Minerva, I'm afraid my memories of Hogwarts are still quite new to me, and I don't really remember where everything is as well as a teacher should. I hope you don't mind giving me a tour?" I asked, trying to divert the teacher from the subject of Draco and me.

"Of course not, dear! We've actually changed quite a bit. The Potions classroom is no longer in the dungeons. There was an accident last year, releasing some rather toxic fumes. Nobody will be allowed down there until the Elves can figure out a way to safely clean it. The Slytherins were most distressed, as they've been forced to share common rooms with the Ravenclaws. But they're now rooming in the North Tower. It's not quite the same, but it'll do.

"Your classroom is right here, it's more of a complex now, than a classroom. This is the potions hallway. These first rooms are for potions that can be brewed relatively quickly. This one is the lecturing classroom. Severus would always complain that the students couldn't learn properly in the lab, but Albus would never listen. The farthest ones are for potions that take longer to brew. This one here is to be used for tutoring sessions and potions experiments for the students, with supervision.

"Down here is your own private lab, where you can brew whatever tickles your fancy. This is also the storage room for more expensive and volatile ingredients. Only people with a password can enter this room. After all, we don't want any second years brewing Polyjuice," said Minerva, as she showed me the Potions corridor. This new system seemed so much more effective than the old one. I couldn't help but blush at the mention of Polyjuice Potion.

"Now, your rooms are a bit closer to Gryffindor tower. Sir Cadogen has volunteered to guard them for you. I'll leave you to choose the password," she said, before disappearing around the corner.

"Hello, good knight," I greeted the painting.

"Hello, fair damsel," he returned. "Password?"

"The Green Dragon?" I offered.

"Indeed, I did slay that beast, once upon a time. It will do most suitably," he replied, before swinging open to reveal beautiful rooms. The carpet was a dark red and the upholstery on the furniture matched it well. There were three doors. The first led to a kitchen, with all accents done in gold with while tile floors. The second opened up to reveal a bathroom.

It wasn't as luxurious as the Prefect's, but it was more perfect in my eyes. The taps for the bath were lions' heads, and they weren't set for any particular scent yet.

"Just tap your wand and say what you want, dearie," said the mirror.

"Thank you. Will I be able to change them whenever I want to?" I asked.

"Oh, yes. But if you think of an emotion for each tap, you should be covered," she replied, before fading back into a mirror. It was trimmed in gold, designed to look like a lion's mane. It was clear that these rooms were meant for a Gryffindor.

There was a door in the bathroom, leading to my bedroom. It was gorgeous. It abandoned the red and gold theme for a more simplistic monochromatic look, with various shades of gray on the accenting pillows in the four poster bed. The large window looked out over the lake and the grounds, with the far off mountains as a backdrop.

I left my bedroom through the bathroom and opened the last door. It was a simple office, with a window and a desk and a large chair. There was a door leading out to the hallway. When I emerged into the corridor, I was standing opposite of the Fat Lady.

"Don't you look familiar? No, don't tell me," she said. I smiled at her. "Oh yes! You're the Slytherin's girl. He was certainly a charming fellow, with the silver eyes. He came and visited me yesterday."

"It's great to see you again too! May I inquire as to the password for the Tower?" I asked.

"Oh, it hasn't been set yet. Go right on in!" she swung open. The common room hadn't changed in all the years that had gone by. The table where Ron would destroy Harry at chess was still in the corner, by the big chair where I would sit and read. The couch were Ginny would gossip with Lavender and Pavarti were still by the window. The three chairs by the fire, where Harry, Ron, and I would brood were still by the fire.

The chair were Neville was sitting when he caught us leaving in first year was still next to the portrait. I blinked by eyes several times, because Neville was still sitting there. I blinked again. Neville was older, tanner, and sleeping.

"Neville?" I whispered. He shook awake and opened his eyes.

"Hermione! It's great to see you! What are you doing here?" he asked, rushing over to give me a hug.

"I'm the new Potions Professor. It's great to see you too. Minerva said you were teaching Herbology! That's wonderful," I exclaimed. We spent the rest of the morning talking, until my stomach rumbled. I didn't eat breakfast, and I was a bit hungry. Neville and I walked to the Great Hall, talking the whole time.

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	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize.

A.N.: Italics are flashbacks.

Entering Planet Earth

Draco's P.O.V.:

I was sitting at the Head table in the Great Hall waiting for Hermione to appear. Professor McGonagall was gossiping with Poppy about the new Potions Professor.

_I walked into Hermione's house after making sure Mum was ok, only to find the house empty. I was about to floo Harry and Ron when Asterius hooted from Hermione's bedroom. I found the crumpled letter on the floor and penned a letter to the Headmistress informing her that I would be taking up residence at Hogwarts during the course of the day._

_When I arrived at Hogwarts, I was greeted by a house elf, who told me the McGonagall was giving Hermione a tour of the Potions hallway. As soon as I got settled in and had managed to rid myself of the House Elf, I rushed to the Potions hallway, but there was no sign of either McGonagall or Hermione._

_I went to the Library and sat reading for the next few hours, in hopes that perhaps Hermione would visit the Library. She spent enough time in the room back in our school days. I decided to read Hogwarts, A History. To my surprise, she was the last one to check it out. I guess that makes sense, as it is her favorite book. I was about halfway through when I found a scrap of parchment._

"_Ooh, that Malfoy can be such a jerk! He thinks that I'll just forgive him for making demeaning observations on my character. Of course, nobody can know we're dating, so he has to treat me terribly in front of people. Too bad that everyone knows we're dating. Pavarti and Lavender never could keep their mouths shut! I wish he didn't care what other people thought of him," read the piece of paper, written in her handwritten. It reflected her very well. On normal days, it was calm and neat and very unremarkable, but very beautiful. The letters shook and appeared to be rapidly written, and it had been. I'd seen her angry, and her words flew from her pen as quickly as they did from her mouth._

The doors to the Great Hall opened, and in walked Hermione. She looked happy, and she was talking to Longbottom.

"Hermione, I saved you a seat," I smiled charmingly. She glanced at the seat next to mine, and saw Flitwick on the other side.

"I'm sorry, Draco, but I promised I'd sit with Neville. We have so much catching up to do," she replied. She glided past me to where Longbottom was pulling out a chair for her, right next to McGonagall.

"Do you remember that time after the final Gryffindor-Slytherin quidditch game when Harry?" asked Longbottom, not managing to finish because he was overwhelmed by laughter.

"Oh yes! Remember Minerva, you came into the room at 4 in the morning asking why we weren't sleeping, and you saw," said Hermione, before laughter overtook her too.

"I saw Mr. Potter in his Animagus form, but the poor boy didn't know how to turn back into a human!" squealed McGongall. "How ever did that happen?"

"He was foolish enough to eat some of the snacks sent to Ginny by the Weasley twins. It hadn't been completely tested," explained Hermione.

"We sent some to the Slytherins the next day, but as there were no outbreaks of snakes, we assumed that they hadn't touched them," chortled Neville. In actuality, Crabbe and Goyle spent a week as snakes until we finally realized they were missing.

"To the contrary, young Draco here brought me a pair of fat snakes, asking me to solve whatever problem they had, as Severus was unable too," said Flitwick. I wanted to leave, but forced myself to join the conversation.

"Crabbe and Goyle would always eat just about anything," I said haughtily.

"Including cupcakes filled with sleeping potion! Harry and Ron used their hairs for the Polyjuice Potion to sneak into the Slytherin Common Room during second year," said Hermione, gleefully.

"Draco, I've been meaning to ask you. Ron said there was a poster of the Chudley Cannons in the dungeons. Is that true?" asked Longbottom.

"It's always been there," I said, lying through my teeth as any good Slytherin would.

"Really? Severus said that it had been put there by a blonde first year several years ago, about a week after Blaise Zabini was sorted," said Flitwick, in his squeaky voice. I gripped my cutlery tightly.

"Pansy was blonde, wasn't she?" asked Hermione, trying to preserve my dignity.

"Pansy hates the Cannons. She can't abide Quidditch!" said Longbottom, who had become friends with Pansy somehow. She never seemed like the type to like ninnies.

"Draco! Why didn't you tell us you liked the Cannons? We have tickets all of their games as they were sponsored by Phineas Nigellinus while he was Headmaster here!" exclaimed McGonagall. Watching a quidditch game with Hermione seemed like an excellent date to me, so I nodded. "Oh good! I'll let Sibyl know that she'll have company at the next game!"

The entire table burst out laughing, including Hermione, to my extreme mortification. I continued to eat as if nothing had happened. Once the table quieted, McGonagall began to discuss all of the crazy predictions Trelawney had made over the years.

Hermione snorted and laughed at everyone. She hated Trelawney. The tale of her last day in the smoky room had travelled around Hogwarts like wildfire, even without Patil's and Brown's assistance.

Dinner came to an end, but nobody left the table. I pretended to yawn, and excused myself.

"Why was she with LONGBOTTOM? Why was she laughing with him?" I ranted in the safety of my rooms, never noticing that I had left the portrait ajar and that Hermione was standing in the shadows outside. "Why do I care? A filthy little mudblood like her deserves the Squib."

I heard a sob, and looked around for the cause. I caught sight of her running away from me.

"Why am I such an idiot?" I asked myself.

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Hermione's P.O.V.:

I can't believe him. I thought that he had changed, my memories told me that much. Maybe he was just lying to me then. Maybe that's why he wanted to keep our relationship a secret for so long.

"Hey Hermione, Minerva and Poppy want to know if you want to join us in a game of exploding snap," said Neville, seeing me at a distance. I walked towards him.

"Are you ok?" he asked, noticing the tears in my eyes.

"I heard Draco, and I can't believe I ever thought he had changed," I murmured. Neville smiled at me sympathetically while handing me a handkerchief. Despite the tears that had started to fall, I couldn't help but to smile back. Neville put his arm around my shoulders and together we walked to the Infirmary, where Minerva and Poppy were waiting.

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Draco's P.O.V.:

I hesitated for a few seconds, before chasing Hermione down the halls. Her head start allowed her to escape me, but eventually I found her.

Longbottom handed her a handkerchief, noticeably inferior to the one in my pocket, but she accepted it nonetheless. Then, Longbottom put his arm around her and they walked away.

I stormed back to my rooms. If that's what she really wanted, then let her have it. A pureblood like me should never stoop to love a mudblood like her.

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	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: If you recognize it, I don't own it.

Entering Planet Earth

Hermione's P.O.V.:

Someone was knocking at my door when I woke up the next morning. The events of last night were a little hazy, but I could clearly remember Draco calling me a mudblood. And Neville comforting me. I yelled at whoever was out there to wait a few minutes.

"Hermione! I need to talk to you!" shouted a familiar voice. It sounded like Draco, but he and I have nothing to talk about. I don't need to deal with purebloods with superiority complexes right now.

"Go away, Malfoy!" I shouted back. "We have nothing to discuss!"

Draco's P.O.V.:

I can't believe she called me Malfoy! She hasn't called me Malfoy since the Order meeting right after Dumbledore's death, where my allegiance was revealed. She promised me that she would never call me that. Malfoy is my father, I'm Draco.

"Hermione, please," I whined. "I made a mistake yesterday. I was angry, and jealous. I'm a fool!"

"Yes, you are," said Hermione, opening her door. She looked wonderful, and furious. "Why should I waste my time with a purist like you? Besides, we aren't romantically involved, so you have no right to be jealous. Even if we were, you don't own me!"

"Hermione, be reasonable! Listen to me, let me explain," I pleaded.

"There's nothing to explain," she replied. Her voice was soft, and full of contempt.

"Hermione, please," I repeated. "What happened to your ideals? What happened to making this world a fairer place for everyone?"

"Life happened, Malfoy," she responded. I stared at her. "Welcome to planet Earth, where life is everything but fair." She stepped out into the hallway, closed her door, and walked right by me.

"Hermione, wait," I said.

"What is it Malfoy?" she asked.

"Just for a second, put yourself in my shoes. Imagine how it felt, to see you walking with Longbottom, laughing with Longbottom, at me! I saved you a seat, but you rejected me, you completely blew me off!," I ranted.

"I'm sorry, Draco, but I can't dedicate my entire life to you. Neville and I are friends, just like you and I are. We were reminiscing the days we spent together as Gryffindors," said Hermione. She used my name. My heart expanded.

"I know we had something before I left, but Draco, we've both changed in the past few years. I hope that we can still be friends, because I don't see how we can be anything more. I can't trust you," she continued. I felt like my heart was a balloon, and she had just popped it.

"Draco?" she asked, timidly.

"I'm sorry, I zoned out. I was thinking. When you left, I fell in love all over again, with my memories of who you were. And, when I saw you walking down the street, I kept thinking of you as the Hermione Granger I knew. But I can tell now that you have changed. I'd like to get to know you," I said, trying to salvage something. She smiled pityingly at me.

"Draco, I've been thinking. Drew and I spent several years together. I still remember those clearly. I remember being happy. I'm going to try to make things between Armand and I work," she said. "I know that doesn't fit in with your plan for us, but he was my husband. He still is my husband. We shared so much together. I don't want to lose that."

"I," I paused. "I can accept that. I don't want to, but I will, for you."

"Thank you, Draco," she replied, with her charming smile on her face.

"Will you accompany me to the Burrow?" she asked, when we reached the Great Hall.

"I'm sorry, but no," I said, tersely.

Hermione's P.O.V.:

I was shocked at his rudeness in his quick response. I flashed him a quick smile. There were two empty seats next to Neville. I sat next to Neville, and Draco sat next to me.

"Good morning, Hermione, Draco," greeted Neville. "Madame Hooch and I are discussing the most interesting catches in Hogwarts history."

"I'd have to say that Harry's first would win out," said Draco. "It wasn't much of a catch, but the fact that he nearly swallowed it was interesting. It was all the rage in the dungeons, Flint wouldn't shut up about it." Draco offered a hesitant smile to Neville, who beamed back at Draco. An owl swooped low over the table, and stopped in front of Draco. He unrolled the letter and read it quickly.

"Something's come up," he muttered, before sweeping away from the table in the same manner Snape would have.

"Neville, would you come with me to the Burrow?" I asked. "I don't want to go by myself."

"Sure," he replied.

"Thanks, I asked Draco, but he refused," I told Neville what had transpired between Draco and I that morning.

"Well, you're going to talk to Armand. Draco may be a little callous at times, but he loves you. He'll accept your decisions, but no self-respecting man is going to voluntarily watch the woman he loves love another man," said Neville. "Draco has too much pride for that."

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A few hours later, Neville and I were walking up the drive to the Burrow. I was nervous. My hands were trembling, and I was hesitating. I wanted to delay this first meeting almost as much as I wanted to see Armand again.

Neville sighed exasperatedly and marched across the lawn and knocked on the door.

"Hi, Mrs. Weasley," I said, when the Weasley matriarch answered the door.

"Hermione, dear! It's so good to see you. It's been such a long time! I've heard the whole story, of course," she said.

"Mrs. Weasley," I started.

"Call me Molly, dear," she interrupted.

"Molly, is Armand here?" I asked.

"Oh yes, he's in the twins' room with Fred and George," she said.

"May I?" I asked.

"Don't be ridiculous! He's your husband. Of course you can go see him. I'd be careful though, there have been some explosions from their room. They're inventing something for the joke store," said Molly. "Neville, would you like some coffee? There's a plant in the garden that's not looking very well, perhaps you could help me with it?"

I slipped up the stairs, past the room where I would sleep with Ginny when staying at the Burrow. I knocked cautiously on the door, having learned never to walk into the twins' room without permission.

"Fred, you get it," said a voice.

"George, you get it," said Armand.

"I agree, you get it George," said Fred.

"Fine, but you're getting it next time," said George. "Hi Hermione!"

"Hermione?" asked Armand.

"Can I speak with you?" I asked. "In private?" I added when he didn't move.

"Oh, yes. We'll be in Ginny's room," said Armand, mostly to Fred and George.

"Did you get my letter?" he asked, once we reached Ginny's old room. I was sitting on her bed, and he was pacing around.

"I did," I said. "I came to tell you that I want to try and make our marriage work. I fell in love with Drew Masley, and I hope to fall in love with Armand Weasley."

"Well, Drew Masley loved Rebecca so much, and I'm confident that Armand Weasley can love Hermione Granger," he replied. That was all it took. I fell into his arms. He held me until Mrs. Weasley yelled at us to come down for lunch. I grabbed his hand and we went downstairs together.

"So, Hermione, what are you doing?" asked Mrs. Weasley.

"I'm the new Potions Professor at Hogwarts," I said. I noticed Fred glance at George, who glanced at Armand, who nodded slightly. "What was that?"

"Well, we were going to wait a little bit to announce this, but," said Fred.

"Weasley Wizarding Wheezes bought out Zonko's in Hogsmeade, and," said George.

"I'm going to be in charge of that branch," finished Armand.

"You'll be working in Hogsmeade? And I'll be working in Hogwarts," I said. "This is perfect!"

Neville frowned slightly. I looked at him questionally. He mouthed, "Later."

We stayed at the Burrow a little longer, sharing stories and laughing together. Fred and George demonstrated their new line of products, Meta-Noses. Fred and George were changing transforming their noses into different nose types.

"It was inspired by Tonks," said Fred.

"How is it going with Tonks?" asked Neville.

"Fred's planning on proposing to her as soon as he gathers the courage to," said George, while Fred blushed.

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"Hermione, I know you're thrilled that Armand is going to be working nearby, but Draco won't be happy," said Neville.

"Neville, he's going to have to accept it. I'll try to break it gently though," I replied.

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	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: If you recognize it, I don't own it.

Entering Planet Earth

Chapter 7

"Thanks for going with me, Neville," I said, giving him a hug before we went our separate ways. He headed off to the greenhouses. I was planning on wandering around the grounds for a couple of hours to reacquaint myself with them, but I saw Draco out of the corner of my eye. I sighed and walked towards him.

"Hermione," he said.

"Draco," I replied.

"Do you remember our first kiss? It took place right here. We'd left the ball to get some fresh air. You looked so beautiful," he said.

"Draco, I," I started, before falling silent. He turned to look at me, expectantly. "Weasley Wizarding Wheezes bought out Zonko's."

"That's fantastic. Their products are more amusing and reversible," he said.

"Armand is going to be the manager at the new store," I said, casually. Draco took a deep breath and forced a smile.

"That's wonderful. I wish you two nothing but the best," he said, the forced smile still plastered on his face, before going silent.

"It's time for dinner," I said, breaking the awkward silence.

"Yeah, I'll walk you," he replied. We walked to the Great Hall in silence. I sat by Filius, while Draco veered to the other side of the table and started talking to Rolanda Hooch about Quidditch.

...

Dear Armand,

That's going to take a while to get used to. Don't be offended if I call you Drew every once so often. We did live as Drew and Rebecca Marsley for years.

Our anniversary is next Tuesday. I was wondering if you wanted to have dinner to celebrate.

Hogwarts has been full of pleasant surprises. Neville, the Herbology teacher, and I have become great friends. Draco and I have had our fair share of encounters, not all of them pleasant. The rest of the staff who were my teachers, when I was at Hogwarts, have been very kind and accepting.

Love, Hermione or Rebecca

Dear Hermione,

I'd love to have dinner with you on Tuesday. I'm so glad you brought it up. I was afraid you wouldn't want to, that your visit to the Burrow had taken place during a moment of delirium.

I'm glad you're enjoying Hogwarts. Fred and George have spent the last few hours telling me stories about their time there. The moving staircases sound fascinating. I wish I could have gone! Maybe I could have figured out how they work.

The new branch of WWW is opening next Friday. Would you do me the honor of being my date?

Love, Armand

Dear Armand,

Minerva, the Headmistress, said it was perfectly okay for me to attend to my personal life off campus after the students arrive on Thursday as long as I don't miss major events like the Sorting. That's a yes.

Tomorrow marks the sixth year of our marriage. I'm excited to see you again. This is the longest I've gone without seeing you in the past six years.

On a related note, you're my husband, but are you also my boyfriend?

Love, Hermione

...

"Hey Hermione, headed to the Owlery?" asked Draco pleasantly. We've managed to become friends, although his smile gets rather strained when Armand is mentioned.

"Yup," I said, holding my letter up. I felt a little silly.

"What a coincidence! I too have a letter to mail. Astoria Greengrass sent me a letter few days ago, thanking me for helping her to St. Mungo's. I've been too busy to reply until now," he said. I felt a pang of jealousy go through my heart. We continued making small talk until we reached the owlery.

"Hey girl, do you mind taking this letter to Armand Weasley at the Burrow?" I asked a beautiful brown owl. She held out her leg and I attached the letter. I saw Draco doing the same.

The owls took off and I went over to the window to watch them disappear into the sun, a habit from my Hogwarts days.

"I promised Neville I'd teach him how to fly this afternoon. I'll see you at dinner, Mia," said Draco before walking out of the owlery. I acknowledged his statement with a nod of my head. As soon as the door slammed shut, I leaned against the wall and slid down to a sitting position.

"Why was I so jealous of Astoria? I'm in love with my husband Armand. Draco has the same right to be happy as I do," I told myself. I remembered the argument Draco and I had a few nights ago, when I overheard him calling me a mudblood. He told me he didn't mean it. I accused him of lying to me during our previous relationship, but I know now that the accusation was completely unfounded if he's helping Neville learn how to fly.

I should apologize to him. And maybe take advantage of this opportunity to learn how to fly myself. I ran to the Quidditch pitch.

"Draco! Will you teach me how to fly too?" I yelled, as he and Neville were on the opposite side of the field. I saw him glance at Neville, who said something, before he nodded at me.

"Hey Hermione, I'm glad you're out here. If I sprain my wrist again, you'll be able to fix it with much less hassle than Madam Pomfrey," joked Neville.

"Neville! I should hope you have more confidence in my teaching abilities than that," pouted Draco. The repartee continued and I just stood there in awe at the friendship that had somehow developed between these two men who were as different as night and day when they were boys.

"Maybe Hermione should do the teaching, as she finds brooms unnecessary," teased Neville, getting my attention and making me blush.

"Oops?" I offered, before summoning a broom from one of the many broomsheds.

"Alright, first thing you have to do is get your broom into the air," said Draco. He was holding his broom vertically. I expected him to set it on the ground and then say "Up" as we'd been instructed to do in first year. To my surprise, he merely tilted it.

"It would be impractical to put a broom on the floor every time you wanted to fly. It would also make a quick escape practically impossible," he said, answering my silent question. Neville and I copied his actions.

"Now, get on your brooms and then direct it with your hands and your thoughts," he concluded. Hesitantly, I did as he said.

"Alright broomie, let's go three feet into the air," said Neville before pulling the broom up. "Broomie" did exactly what he wanted it to do. In his surprise, he let go and fell. Draco landed and started casting diagnostic spells while asking Neville where it hurt.

"Feels just like first year," he said. I landed and ran over to Neville.

"Sprained wrist?" I asked.

"Sprained wrist," replied Draco.

"Oh Neville," I said, before muttering the charm to heal it. Neville jumped to his feet sprightly.

"I'm right as rain now. A little peckish, but nothing dinner in the Great Hall won't solve," he said, before linking arms with me. Draco linked up on my other side and together we skipped off to the Great Hall, our adult maturity worn down my Neville's exuberance.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: If you recognize it, I don't own it.

Entering Planet Earth

Chapter 8

For the first time in years, I woke up completely happy. The woman I loved knew everything she needed to know and she still wanted to be with me. My family had found me after years of separation and they loved me. They hadn't abandoned me because they thought I was a squib, like I had always thought. It felt good to call myself Armand Weasley after all these years.

To top it all off, I'd gotten my dream joke, running a joke store. Fred and George may be the brains behind the creation of their ideas, but I've always been the inspiration. When we were little, we compiled a notebook of all the cool prank items we wanted. Most of them were contributed by me. Fred and George are only halfway through the notebook. It should take them a couple more years before the reach the last suggestion. Fortunately, I started a new notebook when I was living all by myself.

I'm planning on giving it to them on our birthday.

They're downstairs right now, working on Turquoise Toothpaste. When you brush your teeth with it, your teeth turn turquoise. It makes for a beautiful smile.

I'm upstairs, making the apartment inhabitable. We're guys. We tend to be a little messy. Normally I wouldn't bother, but we have guests coming tonight. Fred and George invited the three chasers from their school Quidditch team to hang out after work.

I'm really glad Rebec—Hermione made me clean up my own messes at home, otherwise this would take a few more hours. I pulled out a vacuum from a closet, rather surprised that my brothers owned a vacuum and started it up.

I was almost down vacuuming the living room when Fred and George burst into the room.

"What is that noise?" asked Fred.

"Is everything okay up here?" inquired George. Mentally, I rolled my eyes. Dad has always been crazy about muggles and their appliances; Fred and George should know what a vacuum sounds like.

"Oh my gosh! That thing is trying to eat the floor!" yelled Fred, panicking.

I glanced at George and saw his face pale in terror before he passed out. I glanced back at the vacuum when I heard another thud, Fred.

I walked to the kitchen and filled up a glass with water. Pouring it on their heads should revive them quick enough.

"What's wrong with an Ennervate!" protested Fred. I raised an eyebrow at him.

"Do you mind cleaning the puddle with your wand?" I asked, laying heavy emphasis on the word wand.

"George! We need to take Armand to Ollivander's so he doesn't resort to muggle methods to wake us anymore," said Fred. I looked at Fred with wide eyes. Squibs can't use wands.

"Don't worry Armand, we're pretty sure you aren't a squib. First off, squibs can't do memory charms. Fully trained wizards and witches can barely manage. Second, there's no way a squib could brew a love potion powerful enough to get Hermione to fall in love with your ugly mug," said George, reading my mind.

"To Ollivander's?" I asked, full of fake bravado.

"To Ollivander's!" cheered Fred and George.

Fred flipped to Open sign to Closed as we walked out into Diagon Alley. We passed the Apothecary and Flourish and Blott's before we reached Ollivander's ancient wand shop, if the sign in the front is to be believed.

"Herr Ollivander, ve vish to ackwire a vand for our bruder Armand," said Fred in an awful German accent.

"George, favorite brother, please, a silencing charm," I pleaded. George nodded before hitting Fred with a charm.

"Bruder George, was hast du gemacht?" asked Fred in German.

"If he was going to pretend to have a German accent, he may as well speak in German for a while," shrugged George.

"Armand Weasley, the long lost Weasley, believed to be dead, it is a pleasure to meet you," said Ollivander, staring at me with his creepy light blue eyes. "I never believed you were dead. Not after I discovered that your two brothers' wands shared two of the hairs generously given to me by a centaur. The third hair he gave me is in this wand." Ollivander pulled a wand out with a flourish and held it out to me.

Sparks, blue and gold, flew out of the tip and I thought I heard singing.

"A true wizard's wand," murmured Ollivander. "Twelve inches, made of vine wood and centaur hair, very good at memory charms and compelling jinxes."

"Isn't Hermione's wand made of vine wood too?" asked Fred, the language curse having worn off.

"Miss Granger, yes, it has been a long time since I saw her last. You are correct as to the wood of her wand, Mr. Weasley. It is quite interesting what woods will tell you about people. For instance, two people with vine wood wands will likely not get along well after the initial charm of the meeting is over. Vine wood is most compatible with hawthorn," said Ollivander.

"George, let's get out here. This old man gives me the creeps," I said to George, a white lie. Ollivander didn't give me so much the creeps as the information about wand wood reveals about personalities. He had to be wrong about Hermione and me. We've always gotten along so well...

But, I don't really know Hermione, I know Rebecca, who didn't have a wand at all.

"I have to finish cleaning the apartment," I said more loudly. Fred nodded and quickly paid Mr. Ollivander.

"Hey mate, you know what Ollivander said about wand woods, don't worry about it. It's just a bunch of mumbo-jumbo like divination," said George. I threw him a smile.

"I dunno, George, if the rumors are to be believed, Trewlawny gave a couple of accurate prophecies," said Fred. My spirits sunk tremendously at those words. George elbowed Fred in the ribs.

"Ow! What was that for!" exclaimed Fred. Then, realizing the meaning of Ollivander's words, he softly said, "Oh."

"Don't worry though, Armand, there's plenty of fish in the sea! Katie's single, right George? And she's coming over tonight. I know for a fact that her wand isn't made of vine wood," said Fred, in a misguided attempt to cheer me up.

"Just don't make any passes at Angelina. She's coming tonight too,"Fred continued, unaware of my misery. "I think tonight's the night when she'll finally agree to a date."

"And when she doesn't, Alicia and I are going to laugh at you," retorted George. He's been dating Alicia for a good three months now.

"I don't suppose Katie's wand is made of hawthorn," I said, sensing a plot to set me up with the former Quidditch player.

"Now that you mention it, I think it is," said Fred. Suddenly, I didn't feel like hanging out.

"I think I'll sit this one out, go visit Mum or something," I said.

"No sirree, you're hanging out with your favorite pair of identical brothers tonight," announced Fred, settling the issue.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: If you recognize it, I don't own it.

Entering Planet Earth

Chapter Nine

Armand's Point of View

I sat on the couch in the flat nursing a glass of firewhisky thinking about Ollivander's words. I felt like everyone's eyes were on Katie and me, waiting for the attraction to settle in. Katie was a pretty girl, but she was no Rebecca.

Life with Rebecca was easy, simple. The only difficulties came along was when Henry started meddling. Henry was a doctor trying to help Rebecca recover her memories. His services had been rendered useless by the appearance of the Malfoy boy.

"Angie, baby, won't you be my lady?" pleaded Fred, drawing me out of my musings. I didn't understand it—Fred was very happy with Tonks, who had pulled him out of his funk when his wife had died in childbirth twelve years ago.

On the other couch, I saw George and his wife Alicia giggling together. They had a spat a few days before my return to the Wizarding World, but it looked like George would be leaving the apartment and returning to his home with Alicia that evening.

"They were like this at Hogwarts too," said Katie. "Fred just keeps doing it for tradition's sake. Angie lets it because it amuses her."

"Why didn't someone warn me about your mind-reading abilities?" I asked teasingly, internally wondering exactly how she knew just what I was thinking.

"Legimency was never my thing. I was always a test subject for the Golden Trio when they were learning," she replied.

"The Golden Trio?" I asked. There were so many things that were common knowledge to everyone but me—the price I paid for abandoning the Wizarding World and never trying to return.

"That's what everyone called Harry, Ron, and Hermione at Hogwarts. Draco called them that once and it stuck. He meant it as an insult, but it fit them so well," she answered patiently, understanding my plight. Rebecca wasn't like that. She could take a question looking for a simple answer and turn it into a lecture worthy of any great professor. Sometimes, it was helpful, when I was really seeking to understand the material. Other times, it was irritating, when I wanted to know what she wanted for dinner. As useful as knowing the nutritional value of pasta versus of steak, I would have loved a quick answer.

One of her many charms, I suppose.

Draco's Point of View

"_Dear Draco,_

"_I would be delighted to have dinner with you! My mother did always say we'd make a very handsome couple. We'd look charming together in the society pages of the paper. You're so tall and handsome and blonde, and I'm so dainty and pretty and blonde—it'd be a match made in heaven just for its aesthetic qualities. Of course, that's not the only reason. Obviously, we're both purebloods with impeccable pedigrees and heirs to vast fortunes. And, of course, the hero, that's you, always deserves to win the affections of the pretty girl, that's me._

"_Love, Astoria._

"_P.S.- To make it easier for you, not that anything is hard for you, my favorite flowers are lilies, my favorite restaurant Madame Fluffifoot. It's sort of like Madam Puddifoot, but much less garish and much more befitting of two people of our station. And, I'll be wearing a dark green gown. We'll look so adorable in the society pages if we match."_

Hermione would never write such drivel. But it's been fifteen years; it's time to move on—and Hermione agrees!

Hermione's Point of View

"Is this? No, it can't be!" I asked.

"The famous, or infamous I should say, Devil's Snare that almost killed Harry and Ron? Yes, yes it is," said Neville with all the pride of a mother talking about her precocious child.

"But it's so tame! It's not even trying to trap us," I exclaimed.

"I thought it was time that the Wizarding World was introduced to a garden guardian that could recognize and detain all those looking to do harm to the owner and his or her loved ones. This particular specimen belongs to Hogwarts—would have come in handy during the Final Battle," he exclaimed.

"Neville, that's brilliant, absolutely brilliant!"

"You're making me blush," replied Neville, who was indeed blushing. "Especially as you are the brilliant one in between us two."

I smiled at the compliment.

"Not when it comes to Herbology," I said, thinking of my old friend who had breeded something so useful and discriminate out of something useful and indiscriminate. He was always kind to me. He never laughed at me or called me names. Harry and Ron might have been my best friends, but Neville was my first friend at Hogwarts. At the root of our friendship was a single amphibian, Trevor.

"What happened to Trevor?" I asked. "I liked that toad, enough to keep you from poisoning him every time we had potions."

"He ran away during my seventh year. Potions was much more hazardous to his health that year. I found his remains outside of the Slytherin Common Room. Draco sent me a letter apologizing. He had to keep his cover," Neville answered, bitterly.

"I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have brought it up, but I was thinking of the day we met."

"Our first trip on the Hogwarts Express. I was so nervous."

"I was too. I couldn't believe it wasn't all a dream until Halloween."

"The Sorting was what I was most worried about. To be honest, I worried about everything, but I had nightmares about the Sorting. I was so afraid that the hat would send me back home after declaring me a Squib for the whole Hall to hear," continued Neville, drifting back to times long ago past.

"I was surprised when it put me in Gryffindor. It's what I had hoped for, but I was positive I was going to end up in Ravenclaw—that the Hat would only see the bookish side of me, like everyone else."

"We were all surprised at first that you were a lion, but after first year, no one in Gryffindor was surprised. When you pulled that stunt and hexed me, I thought that you should have been a Slytherin. When I learned the reason why, I thought you should have been a Hufflepuff, so loyal to Harry. When I finally sat down to think about what being a Gryffindor was all about, I realized that you are the quintessential Gryffindor. No one but a Gryffindor would risk Snape's displeasure by whispering instructions to me despite his direct orders against it."

It was my turn to blush.


End file.
